The first bills for the 2025 legislative session – Part III: Texas lawmakers target criminal justice, energy, health, guns and wages

(The Texas Tribune) – Republicans control both chambers and expanded their majority in the House and Senate after flipping a handful of seats during this year’s elections. Few of those lawmakers filed bills on Nov. 19, but it’s likely they’ll seek to push the Legislature’s already deep-red agenda even further right once they file their own bills.Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced that his top policy priority will be Senate Bill 2, which is expected to propose a program that lets families use tax dollars to pay for their children’s private schooling. Other priorities have yet to be announced.The start of the 2025 session is Jan. 14. Some of the topics covered in the first day of filing:Criminal justice Energy Health Guns Workers’ wages Property taxes Abortion Public education Higher education Border and immigration Elections LGBTQ+ rights MarriageRelated Stories Criminal justiceRep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, filed a bill that would require the Criminal Court of Appeals to issue a written response in cases where it denies a writ of habeas corpus. The bill also revises the junk science law, a 2013 law that allows defendants to obtain new trials in cases that rely on flawed scientific evidence. No one on death...